Disclaimer: A nod to the genius Robert Kirkman for creating this wonderfully dark, post-apocalyptic world. I do not own or have rights to any of the characters/plot of this series. I'm simply a fan indulging in my post-apocalyptic fantasies.
Thank you Nicole137137 for editing this chapter for me!
A/N: Sooo...guess who got to meet Norman Reedus? Yup! This girl! I went to the Austin Comic Con last weekend and have about a 2 minute conversation with him! I posted the photos on my Tumblr account and have the links posted on my profile if you want to see! He's super sweet, just like you see on T.V. and very humble! It still seems surreal I've actually met him!
...
Beth felt herself moving mechanically. She stumbled out from behind the car and tried to process exactly what she had just seen. There were things in the world that she could chalk up to coincidence, but the white cross on the back of that truck was anything but coincidental.
"Did you see…" Beth didn't need to finish her sentence.
"I saw," Daryl's tone eerily calm.
"That was just like the cross on the car that took me. That silver car we saw had one too and now this truck," Beth pictured each vehicle in her head.
"Gotta' mean somethin'," Daryl voiced what she hadn't said.
"Whatever it is," Beth felt exhaustion seeping in as her adrenaline rush passed, "it's not good."
As the thrumming of her heart in her ears steadily decreased, she felt the same chill she had experienced when she had stood at the intersection where they had seen the parked car. The hairs on the back of her neck stood on end as the oppressive feeling of someone watching her recurred.
"Daryl," she found herself whispering, reaching blindly for him as her eyes scanned the area around them.
"What is it?" He asked while grasping her flailing hand.
"I wanna' get out of here," she admitted weakly.
Daryl didn't immediately answer her and Beth looked behind her to see him looking around them with such intensity that she knew he felt the same unease. He then looked to her and nodded.
"Probably for tha' best. Between our bike and the truck, walkers are bound t'be showin' up soon," he said as he began to walk down the ditch, tugging her behind him.
With a tall privacy fence blocking them from view, Beth followed behind Daryl as they approached the place she had been looking for clues only moments ago. Stopping at the end of the fence, she waited as Daryl cautiously peered around the edge. When he gently tugged her hand, they bolted across the opening to the other side of the intersection. She could still hear the truck driving in the distance, but it didn't appear to be coming in their direction. From the sound of things, the truck seemed to be searching the neighborhood, but for what Beth couldn't even begin to guess.
There were approximately five miles or so from the railroad intersection and then, following the tracks, it was at least another twenty miles until Terminus was visible. For someone walking; that would be quite the journey, but with vehicles scouring the neighborhood so close to their new residence, Beth knew things weren't going to bode well for their brief sanctuary. They had no idea where the vehicles were coming from and how many people were a part of this other group.
With the motorcycle directly across from them, Beth felt her anxiety growing at being so close to making their exit. Running across the road, Beth hopped on the leather seat behind Daryl and waited in silence as Daryl listened. The vehicle didn't sound any closer than it had a moment ago, but it didn't sound like it was driving further away either.
"You think they'll hear you start it up?" Beth questioned barely above a whisper.
"No doubt," came Daryl's gruff response.
"What d'we do?" Beth gripped the sides of his leather vest tightly.
"We'll ride down to tha' next rail crossin'. It's a good ways outta' tha' way, but we can't chance them followin' us if they don't know where we are already," Daryl glanced over his shoulder at her.
Beth's response was burying the side of her cheek between his shoulder blades and wrapping her arms around him tightly. She knew the moment he started up the bike, they would have a very small window of time to get away from the area before the truck would find them.
Holding her breath, she closed her eyes and said a silent prayer as Daryl rose from his seated position to kick start the bike. She opened her eyes and watched behind them as Daryl revved the biked several times, expecting the truck to show up at any moment. When she felt Daryl sit back down and the momentum of the bike beginning to move, she kept her eyes at their backs. She wasn't sure how long she stared over her shoulder, but she didn't feel truly safe until Daryl reached a railroad crossing much further down than the one that they had used previously and were on their way toward Terminus. She never saw sight of the truck tailing them.
…
Arriving at Terminus didn't feel as relieving as Beth had hoped. Instead of the security the fences and brick buildings should have provided, she instead felt trapped. The chain link fences that served their purpose in keeping things out made Beth feel imprisoned and the brick buildings blocked her view of her surroundings. She wanted nothing more than to grab her essentials, drag everyone she loved out of Terminus, and bolt into the seclusion of the woods she had become so accustomed to.
Stepping off the bike, Beth breathed in deeply. There was a certain electricity to the air. Every breath she took seemed to heighten her sixth sense. She had gotten this far by trusting her gut and it was telling her that things were about to get very bad.
"We should find Rick," Daryl mentioned while leaning the bike on its kickstand.
"Daryl…" Beth paused.
She didn't know how to communicate the feeling she was experiencing. She was sure she would probably come off sounding paranoid and she wouldn't blame anyone for thinking so with her having claimed to have seen her previous abductor, but she couldn't stand not saying something about the ominous atmosphere.
When she was sure she had his complete attention, she continued, "Somethin's wrong. Or is about to go wrong. I dunno'. I can't explain it, but I just got this…feelin' like things are about t'get really bad."
Daryl's gaze bore into her for several moments before he looked away. He brought his hand up and smoothed down his facial hair in a sort of nervous habit.
"You think I'm overreactin'?" Beth found herself asking without realizing the words had slipped past her lips.
"Nah. I think you're smart. A gut feelin' usually ain't wrong," Daryl's eyes flickered over to her before staring off into the distance once more, "I'm feelin' it too. I didn't wanna' worry ya', but somethin' is definitely off."
Although the admission should have made her anxious, she felt an odd sort of relief in the fact that Daryl too felt the unease that had settled around her.
"What are we gonna' do?" Beth asked hesitantly.
Daryl's hand dropped to grip the strap of his crossbow, "First we're gonna' get Rick t'get the group together an' tell'em what we saw. Then we're gonna' go and figure out what these son of'ah bitches are up to and how big 'ah group they got. We'll figure out where t'go from there."
Beth felt her lips quirking up in the corners at Daryl's confidence. Stepping forward, she wrapped her arms around his neck and let herself relish in the comfort his presence provided. She could feel his hands hovering, knew he wasn't quite sure where to place them, but allowed herself this one selfish moment regardless of his awkwardness. Their scouting mission had been a bit more traumatizing for her than she had let on and she just wanted to feel safe, even if for only a few seconds.
His hands settled on her hips, his touch so feather-light that she barely felt them through the material of her shirt. Inhaling his scent, Beth squeezed him tightly before pulling back, offering him a genuine smile as a way of saying 'thank you.'
Clearing his throat, Daryl removed his hands from her sides, and jerked his head towards the courtyard area, "Come'on. We need to find Rick and get this shit sorted out."
Beth nodded and followed behind him down the maze-like pathway that led to the courtyard. She walked with her head down, staring at Daryl's feet to guide her, lost in her own thoughts. When building gave way to the opening of the courtyard, she heard Carol's voice before she saw her.
"You're back! Everything go okay?" Carol said looking between Daryl and Beth.
"Not as well as I woulda' liked," Daryl muttered loud enough for Carol to hear.
"What happened?" A third voice joined the conversation.
Beth looked around Carol to see Sasha approaching them, holding Judith securely on her hip. Having not spent time with Judith over the past week, Beth was elated to see the infant safe and happy. Beth moved to Sasha and toyed with one of the bracelets Beth had given the child to chew on.
"Closest we got to a teethin' ring," Sasha smiled while handing the child over to Beth.
She could hear Daryl and Carol talking about the truck, about the similarities of the cross on the back, and she could feel Carol's concerned stare, but Beth refused to let anyone see her distress get to her. She didn't want to appear weak after all she had done to prove she could handle herself. Being vulnerable in front of Daryl was one thing, but letting others see behind her walls was another matter entirely.
"She okay?" She heard Carol direct toward Daryl.
Beth pinched Judith's nose playfully, attempting to seem oblivious to the conversation about her a few feet away. Smiling when Judith giggled and made attempts at speech, Beth listened for Daryl's reply.
"I'm lookin' after her," Daryl's ambiguous reply left Beth feeling a mixture of comfort and unease.
She thought she had kept herself together well enough while they were out, despite the overwhelming emotions that took hold when she realized she had to of seen her captor and that there were in fact others he was in association with, but that didn't appear to be the case. Evidently her recollection of her behavior and Daryl's were vastly dissimilar.
"Make sure you do," Carol's reply carried an underlying tone.
Turning her attention away from the two behind her, Beth glanced up to see Sasha watching her interact with Judith.
"She had enough food?" She said to Sasha; attempting to cover for her eavesdropping.
"For now," Sasha replied, "Havin' more than we need is never a bad thing though."
"She's over a year old now. She was born during the summer when we first took the prison. So once she finishes this container of formula, she'll be eating more solid foods. She's gotten' plenty of teeth now," Beth explained while making a face at Judith who gave her a snaggletooth grin.
"You're going to be a really good mom someday," Sasha commented, catching Beth off-guard.
"She's a natural," Carol added while moving to stand next to Sasha.
Before she could reply, she felt someone approach from her right. Glancing up, her eyes locked with Daryl's. He was standing closer than necessary, something that Carol and Sasha definitely wouldn't miss, and even though he wasn't touching her physically, Beth could feel his presence engulf her.
"I'm gonna' catch up with Rick," Daryl said as he reached around to tousle Judith's hair.
"'Kay," Beth adjusted Judith, who was reaching blindly for Daryl, to get a better hold, "I'm gonna' go find Maggie. I need t'talk to her about some stuff."
"I'll find ya' later," Daryl acknowledged, wiggling his finger free from Judith's grasp.
"I'm fine Daryl," Beth felt she needed to clarify that while she was still unnerved about their finding earlier; she was going to be alright.
Daryl's response was to glance at her, eying her from head to toe, before leaving to find Rick.
There was an awkward silence between the three of them. Clearing her throat, Beth was about to bid her farewell and go search for her sister, when Sasha spoke first.
"What was that about?" The smirk Sasha gave her had Beth unsure of how reply.
"What was what about?" Beth asked, not sure which part Sasha was referring to.
"That was Daryl checking in," Carol's lips lifted into a knowing smirk.
"He was just lettin' me know where he was goin'," Beth tried to downplay the interaction.
"And when has Daryl Dixon ever told anybody where he was goin' or what he was doin'?" Sasha crossed her arms over her chest to accentuate her point.
"He tells Rick stuff all the time. Glenn. My daddy…" Beth mentioned her father quietly.
"Not the same thing," Sasha quirked a brow at her.
"Why not?" Beth asked trying not to read too much into what Sasha was suggesting.
Sasha and Carol exchanged a look that Beth wasn't sure she understood.
"When it comes to you, Daryl…he's different with you," Carol kept her explanation elusive.
Beth was well aware that things between her and Daryl were different than their relationship between other members of the group. They were more than just two people in a group, surviving together. They were more than just friends. He made her feel safe. She wanted to protect him as much as he had protected their group. She found him attractive. His kisses made her knees weak and any conscious thought impossible. She trusted him and he obviously felt some sort of attraction towards her by his actions. She supposed that she shouldn't be surprised that others were already aware of what she had only recently come to realize. However, she wasn't ready to think things went beyond mutual attraction. That led to deeper emotions and thoughts of the future and she was doing good just making it day to day.
"Oh honey," Sasha's smile reached from ear to ear.
"What?" Beth wasn't liking how intently Sasha was looking at her.
"Don't worry about it," Carol reached out and patted Beth's cheek gently with her palm, "You want to take Judith with you? I can keep her if you have things to do."
Thankful for Carol's interference, Beth exhaled softly. Unsure what to make of the unspoken familiarity that had transpired between Carol and Sasha, Beth furrowed her brows and shook her head, "No. I can take her. I'm just gonna' talk to Maggie. I haven't spent enough time with Judith lately anyway."
"Alright. We'll be in that building over there," Carol pointed to a building Beth had never been in before, "helping with the laundry."
"Tyreese is there now folding clothes," Sasha sounded nervous, "we should get going so we don't have to re-fold an entire basket."
Carol laughed and then quickly sobered, "Oh, Beth, here," Carol placed a cool, metal trinket in Beth's hand, "Since I don't need to keep it safe anymore."
Looking down into her palm, she recognizing the double-heart pendant that Beth's mother had given her. In light of recent events, she had completely forgotten that she had given it to Carol, before they infiltrated Terminus, to keep safe for Judith…just in case. Her brows still furrowed, she moved her eyes to the retreating figures walking toward the building Carol had indicated. Tilting her head to the side, she focused on Carol's remark of how Daryl acted with her.
"I feel like everyone else knows more than I do," she murmured to Judith.
Noticing that she was standing out in the open, lost in thought, Beth mentally shook herself and turned in the direction of their sleeping quarters. She wasn't sure where Maggie would be at this time of day, as they hadn't set any sort of permanent schedule yet, but figured the room she shared with Glenn would be the best place to start.
…
Searching for Maggie had proven to be more of a daunting task than Beth had originally anticipated. When she hadn't found her in her room, Beth asked a few people in the hallway if they knew where her sister was as she passed them, but no one had seen Maggie. She then scoured the cafeteria, the armory, the communications room they had come across when they had first snuck over the fences of Terminus, and every other building she thought her sister might be located. When she couldn't find any trace of Maggie, she began looking for Glenn, only to incur with the same result. No one could even tell her if the couple was still in Terminus.
By the time Beth had returned to her room, worry had officially begun to gnaw at her stomach. Knowing she had gotten the word out enough that when someone did see Maggie, they would let her know Beth had been searching for her, she settled for patiently waiting until Daryl finished up with Rick before demanding they form a search party to find her two missing family members.
She wasn't sure how much time had passed, but she had fed Judith and the infant had fallen asleep since she had retreated back to her room. Lying on the bed next to Judith, Beth closed her eyes to try and block out her thoughts. She knew she was probably overreacting, but the mental images she was envisioning were doing nothing to help calm her frayed nerves. Steadying her breathing, Beth focused on inhaling and exhaling, and counted Judith's heartbeats from where her hand laid gently over the baby's chest.
The world seemed to still, the only sounds she could hear were the occasional footsteps outside her door and Judith's light snore. She felt herself melting into the bed, finally allowing herself to feel a sense of security from being locked away in her room. This was not the prison and if someone else managed to get another tank up and running, well then they deserved to take over Terminus.
A sharp knock at the door caused Beth to jump up. She had no recollection of falling asleep, but felt the lethargy in her muscles. Wiping a hand down her face, Beth moved to open the door.
"Hey," Maggie greeted her.
"Where the hell have you been? I looked all over for you," Beth hissed, trying to keep from waking the slumbering child on her bed.
"Me an' Glenn were talkin' with Rick when Daryl came in," Maggie briefly explained.
Beth made sure to keep her face neutral, "Rick tell you?"
Maggie nodded her head.
"You hear from Daryl?" She asked, stepping aside to let Maggie into the room.
"Yeah," Maggie answered quietly.
"I suppose you're wantin' me to explain some things?" Beth half-whispered as she sat on her bed, careful not to jostle Judith.
"If you can manage it," Maggie replied while sitting beside her.
Beth sat silently, organizing her thoughts as she was forced to re-live her ordeal. She didn't know how long she sat there or when Maggie had grabbed her hand, lost in the emotional rollercoaster she had experienced a year prior.
"Daryl and I got overrun by walkers," Beth started, "he told me t'run to the road. That he'd meet me there once he got away from tha' walkers."
She reached down with her free hand and grabbed her booted ankle, "I'd hurt my ankle. Stupid mistake," she scoffed, "Got it caught in a snare sneakin' up on a walker. I couldn't run. They would've caught me. So Daryl…he led them further into the mortuary while I got our stuff and climbed out a window."
She could feel the cool air of that night on her face as if she were standing in front of the funeral home, waiting for Daryl. She could hear the car approaching, being torn between hiding and hoping whoever it was in the car was coming to help.
"I should've run. I'd learned a lot from Daryl. He'd been teachin' me how t'track. Use a crossbow. One thing he'd always stressed t'me was to trust my gut. Ya' know, that sixth sense people have?" Beth looked to Maggie.
"Not everyone has it," Maggie acknowledged.
"Yeah. Daryl said that's not somethin' you can be taught. You either got it or you don't," Beth agreed.
"You've always had a sense for things," Maggie complimented her with a smile, reaching up to gently brush away some hair that had fallen from Beth's ponytail.
"I didn't listen to my gut that night. If I had just run instead of standing there like a deer in headlights then maybe…I dunno'…maybe Daryl wouldn't be carryin' around the guilt he does for openin' the door and letting the walkers in tha' house," Beth sighed.
She wasn't sure if Maggie had an opinion on the matter or was remaining quiet because she feared if she did make a comment, Beth would clam up.
Clearing her throat, Beth didn't dwell on her thoughts and continued, "A man got out of the car. He had a syringe and before I knew it, I was waking up in the trunk of his car. He drove me to some rundown house. I didn't give him the opportunity to do whatever it was he planned on doin'."
"How'd you get away?" Maggie sounded somewhat hesitant in asking.
"Used my belt to choke him unconscious and took off in his car 'til it ran out of gas. I ended up finding my sporting goods store and hiding out through the winter in a utility closet," Beth had finally linked the story she had told her sister when they had first reunited with the details she had omitted.
"Were you alone? All winter?" Maggie's voice seemed surer this time.
"I never joined another group," Beth answered.
"You should've," Maggie admonished before backtracking, "Why didn't you?"
Beth was well aware of Maggie's concerns. Daryl had said it once, that people can't survive without each other, but Maggie hadn't seen the things she had. She hadn't watched people be murdered for their possessions. Beth had had to take lives just to make it back to her utility closet in the hopes that she might come across someone from their group the next day…or week…or ever. She had never lost hope that her family had survived the fall of the prison. That she would one day find Daryl and that everything would fall back into its tattered place.
"I met some people passing through. I had a few run-ins with people. There aren't many people left like us…men like Daryl or Glenn," Beth hoped her explanation was enough.
Maggie nodded solemnly. She released Beth's hand to wrap her arm around her. Beth felt a pressure on her shoulder and glanced back to see her sister resting her head against her like she had done so many times before.
"I had to do some things…when I was alone," Beth admitted.
Beth felt her sister shake her head against her back before answering, "It doesn't matter."
"It should," Beth exhaled dismally.
"It doesn't. You bein' here, that's what matters," Maggie argued.
"They might've had people waiting for them," Beth confessed one of the thoughts that had haunted her most.
"If you had to go to that extent," Maggie kept her explanation vague, "they didn't have anyone they truly cared about waitin' for them."
Beth absorbed the comfort of her sister's embrace. She hadn't realized the weight of her guilt at not being honest with Maggie until now. Revealing the specifics of what had happened when she and Daryl were separated was immensely alleviating. Beth felt she could relate to Tara on a much more intimate level.
"About Tara," Beth allowed her thoughts to lead her into the next topic she had wanted to discuss with Maggie.
Maggie's grip tightened, "Yeah?"
"I have nothing to forgive her for," Beth stared at the wall in front of them.
"I know," Maggie concurred.
"She didn't know…she didn't know The Governor. She didn't know us. She did what she thought was best for her family. It wasn't her fault and I hope that she can forgive us," Beth elaborated.
"Forgive us? What do you mean?" Maggie lifted her head from Beth's shoulder.
"We never took the time to get to know her. We never made any extra effort to make her feel welcomed into the group. She was utterly alone and we were too busy with everything else in the world to notice how sad she truly was," Beth's voice shook ever so slightly.
They sat in silence. Maggie had released her hold on Beth and was now looking at her hands clasped in her lap.
"When did you become so insightful?" Maggie's sniffle did not go unnoticed.
"You know…being locked up in 'ah utility closet, in the dead of winter, with nothing but your thoughts will do that to ya'," Beth smiled and bumped her shoulder against her sister.
Maggie let out a choked laugh and wiped her face with the back of her hand.
At the sudden commotion, Judith began to stir. Beth swiveled around and picked up the flailing infant, bringing her to her chest where Judith nestled her head into the crook of Beth's neck and resumed her slumber.
"Daryl told me to tell ya' he'd be in his room when we were done talkin'," Maggie mentioned when Beth had gotten Judith settled back down.
"Oh, okay," Beth nodded.
"So…you and Daryl?" Maggie's voice held an accusatory tone.
"Why does everyone keep askin' me that?" Beth sighed.
"Because it's pretty obvious," Maggie said with a wry smile.
"What's obvious?" Beth grumbled.
"That you two are head over heels for each other, in your own little way," Maggie clarified.
"Daryl's not 'head over heels' for me," Beth quoted her sister.
"But you are for him?" Maggie's smile got wider.
"No! Yes…I don't know," Beth's shoulder sunk in frustration, "It's complicated."
"Well Daryl's pretty complicated," Maggie patted Beth's knee, "but he's definitely got somethin' for ya'."
"It's scary," Beth murmured.
"It's scary without the world bein' in some sort of post-apocalyptic state, but that doesn't mean you should run away from it," Maggie disclosed softly.
"It's different with Daryl. Different than it was with Jimmy. Not even comparable to whatever I had with Zach," Beth scrunched her forehead in deep thought.
She felt Maggie staring at her and turned her attention to her sister. The smile on her face and the look in her eye disturbed Beth, but she wasn't sure exactly why.
"Daddy would've approved. Daryl's a good man. He wasn't the greatest guy in tha' world when we met 'em, but he's come into his own. Daddy would've been very proud that you found a man like him," Maggie's even voice expressed genuine honesty.
Beth let out a shuddering breath and blinked her eyes several times to keep her tears at bay. She suddenly remembered Maggie announcing the same thing to her when they were walking through the woods after escaping Terminus. The mindset Beth had had then in regards to her relationship with Daryl and her mindset now was on completely opposite ends of the spectrum. Maggie had known, even back then, before Beth had any inkling of how deep her feelings for Daryl went. While Beth had been referring more to how great of a team she and Daryl made, Maggie had been referring to how great they were for each other.
"Daryl's a great man," Beth repeated.
"I'm glad we had this talk," Maggie reached down and took her hand.
Beth squeezed it twice, "I am too. Feels like before."
"Yeah. It does," Maggie squeezed her hand in return.
Maggie then stood and Beth followed behind her.
"Thank you," Maggie looked Beth straight in the eyes, "Thank you for bein' honest with me. Thank you for tellin' me all this. I know it must'ah been hard to do."
"It gets easier every time I talk about it," Beth replied with a weak smile.
"Good," Maggie returned with a smile of her own, "Rick's gonna' talk to everyone at dinner. Daryl can give you tha' details when you talk to him."
"Okay," Beth nodded.
"I'm gonna' go catch up with Glenn," Maggie pulled her into a hug, "I'll see you at dinner."
Beth hugged her sister back, careful of the sleeping baby in her arms, "Yeah."
Maggie turned and opened Beth's door, pausing in the doorway, before turning back to Beth once more.
"Daddy would be proud of the woman you've become," Maggie declared firmly.
"He was proud of you too," Beth responded sincerely.
Beth stared at her sister until Maggie took a deep breath and exited the room.
Closing the door, Beth adjusted Judith in her arms. She knew Daryl would be expecting her, but she wanted to take a moment to come to terms with the conversation she'd just had with Maggie. She paced her room, gently rocking Judith in her arms and humming a tune her mother had hummed when she was a child. She felt a million pounds lighter.
A soft knock on her door brought Beth out of her reverie. Opening the door, she was met with an unexpected visitor.
"Sorry for intrudin'," the male voice apologized immediately.
"Not at all," Beth waved him off, "Everything okay Tyreese?"
"Oh yeah. Carol and Sasha shooed me out of helpin' fold the laundry. They said you had Judy. Just comin' to check on ya'. See if you're needin' a break," Tyreese informed her.
"Actually, I was goin' to see Daryl in a few minutes. He hasn't really gotten' to see her since we got back. Can I bring her to you after that?" Beth inquired.
"Sure. No problem. I'll be in the courtyard finding somethin' to do," Tyreese gestured down the hall to the exit.
Beth had found Tyreese's attachment to Judith endearing. Having cared for Judith for so long, Beth knew how empty it felt when she wasn't around. It had taken Beth a while to get used to having both of her arms free to use. Tyreese and Carol had taken care of Judith for months before running into their group on the train tracks. It was no surprise to Beth that Judith had managed to wrap Tyreese around her finger.
"Thanks," Beth said with a smile, "I'll find you in a bit."
She followed Tyreese down the hallway, stopping in front of the door that led to Daryl's room. Peering inside the partly open door, Beth saw Daryl sitting on his bed flipping through what looked like a manual.
"You busy?" Beth asked, pushing the door open a smidgen wider.
"Nah, come in," he flicked his wrist toward her in a gesture for her to enter.
"Whatcha' reading?" Beth asked as she sat across from him.
"Generator went down. Found this an' thought I'd see if I could get it runnin' again," Daryl held his place in the book and closed it so she could see the cover.
As if hearing Daryl's voice in her sleep, Judith's head rose from Beth's shoulder and she looked around the room. Beth knew from the squeal that she had spotted Daryl and promptly handed her over when Judith began reaching for him.
"How's my lil' asskicker?" He smiled as he spoke to the infant and Beth felt her heart melt a little at the scene.
"You've got some competition. Tyreese came lookin' for her a minute ago," Beth teased.
"Bullshit," Daryl spat lifting Judith above his head, "She knows better. Don't cha'?"
Beth laughed at Daryl's serious expression as he directed the latter question toward Judith.
"How'd yer' talk with Maggie go?" Daryl asked glancing over to Beth.
"I told her everything," Beth answered earnestly.
"Yeah?" He looked back up at Judith as he brought her down to eye level.
"I feel relieved," Beth added.
"Good," Daryl replied with a nod.
Beth took the book Daryl had abandoned and absently scanned the page.
"Maggie said Rick's plannin' on talkin' to everyone?" Beth inquired.
"Yeah. I filled him in on what we saw. He's callin' a meeting in tha' cafeteria to let everyone know what's goin' on," Daryl divulged to her.
"Good. People need to know," Beth gripped the book tightly in her hands.
"We came up with a few options on what to do. Main thing is we gotta' know what we're up against," Daryl's voice barely registered.
Beth knew exactly what they were up against. It was how many and why that disturbed her. She also noticed that Daryl seemed slightly…off. He was always tightlipped when it came to conversations, but his clipped tone and vague explanation didn't go unnoticed.
"I told you I'll keep ya' safe," Daryl seemed to read her expression.
Beth didn't reply. She knew Daryl would keep any harm from coming to her, and the group, but at what cost? She refused to lose anyone else. They had just begun to scratch the surface of what was going on between them and she wasn't about to let that be taken away.
"I've got your back," Beth finally responded with the only phrase she felt could express her feelings.
Even though she was aware of the inevitability of losing more people, that didn't mean she planned to let anyone go without a fight. She was just as willing as Daryl to put her life on the line in order to keep him and everyone else safe. She wasn't sure she could survive losing anyone else close to her heart. She had survived her mother's death twice, Otis, Patricia, other members of their group, and her father. She had experienced too much loss.
Enough was enough.
…
Beth took a seat beside Carl. She hadn't seen him since she'd gotten back, but had heard he'd been taking watch any time there was an opportunity. Beth understood his frustration. She knew what it felt like to be treated as a child; however, the difference was that Carl was a child. Although by experience he was probably more to the equivalent of a twenty-something year old, he was still physically only fifteen.
"You okay?" Carl asked as she settled into her seat.
"Yeah, why wouldn't I be?" Beth tried to feign casualness.
"I was in the room…when my dad talked to Maggie and Glenn. Michonne and I had just finished a patrol around the fences," Carl explained as the room began to fill.
"So you heard from Daryl too then?" Beth assumed.
"Michonne did. I left before he got there," Carl clarified, "So are you? Okay?"
Beth looked at him and gave him a reassuring smile, "I'm alright. I'll be better once we know more of what's goin' on."
Carl seemed to agree with her statement and refrained from asking any more questions. That was one trait she appreciated about Carl. Whether he believed her when she said she was alright or if he knew she was lying, he didn't pry. He was a lot like Rick, and even Daryl, in that sense; he offered silent support. Didn't ask a whole lot of questions, but made his presence felt in case she ever needed to vent. It saddened her to think of how much he had lost growing up in the world they lived in now, but then again, they had all lost something.
Not wanting to focus on those thoughts, Beth scanned the room. She found it odd that she hadn't seen Daryl since she left with Judith to take the baby to Tyreese as she had promised. Maggie and Glenn were nowhere in her immediate vicinity either.
"You seen Mags? Or Daryl?" Beth asked Carl as she looked from table to table.
"Yeah, over there," Carl pointed to the back exit.
Beth turned in her seat to find Daryl, Maggie, Glenn, and Michonne huddle together in the back of the room. Beth's stomach dropped. A voice coming from the front of the room, which she soon identified as Rick's, began speaking.
"I've called you all here today because we have an issue that needs to be addressed," Rick began as the room immediately filled with murmuring.
Beth turned away from the group at the back to focus her attention on Rick. She could feel the unease in the room and it only heightened her already sensitive nerves.
"Last winter, as many of you are aware, my group was split up when our place of residence was attacked. Two of our members who got out together were later overrun by 'ah herd of walkers. One of them was abducted. They managed to get away, but they had a pretty good idea of what they had planned," Beth appreciated that Rick was keeping his description of what had happened to her discreet, "That same person who was abducted is here, with us now, and they believe they have seen others who may or may not be workin' together with their captor."
"What makes you think they're from the same group?" A voice shouted out from somewhere in the middle of the room.
"The car that abducted them had 'ah white cross painted on the back windshield. They have since seen two other vehicles in a nearby neighborhood that bore tha' design on the back window," Rick confirmed.
The room exploded into shouts of 'what do we do,' 'is it safe to stay here,' and various other expressions of panic. Beth could hear Rick trying to calm everyone down, but fright had already taken over a majority in the room.
Beth was at a loss for what to do. People were beginning to stand, trying to be heard over the crowd, while others were beginning to move toward the exits, which were effectively blocked by Daryl at the back and Abraham at the front.
A sharp whistle caused Beth to flinch and the room immediately quieted down.
"Listen," Rick yelled, "I know everyone is afraid, but we gotta' keep our heads. We start panickin' and leave the safety of these fences, they're just going t'pick us off one by one if tha' walkers don't get us first."
"So what do we do?" A woman sitting a few seats down from Beth hollered out.
"We're gonna' up security. We'll have an extra set of eyes on every perimeter building. If they're driving around lookin' for people to pick up, it's not going t'be hard to miss them if they make their way this far," Rick replied.
"We can't just hide here and wait for them to show up on our door step," another voice rose above the chatter.
"They already know where we are! There are signs everywhere," someone exclaimed.
"Alright, now everybody just calm down," Rick interrupted, "We're goin' to have people watchin' the tree line for people, but they're not goin' to be able to jus' march up here without us seein' 'em. There are walkers out there too. They're not going t'be able to hang around in the bushes for very long and we know to be on tha' lookout for 'em."
"So what are you proposin' we do then?" A man Beth recognized asked tersely.
"I've had a few people from my group volunteer t'go out an' find their camp. See how many we're dealin' with," Rick answered.
"He knew," Beth hissed causing Carl to look in her direction.
"Who did?" Carl asked confused.
The room spun as Rick's words sunk in. Beth whirled around in her chair to glare at Daryl. His eyes were already on her, which only validated that he was well aware of this plan when she talked to him in his room. Her eyes flashed to Maggie and Glenn who blatantly stared forward.
Everything made much more sense. She had spent a good half hour looking for Maggie and Glenn and she couldn't say how long it had been before Maggie came to her room. The entire time she had been looking and waiting for her sister, they had been planning this trip out with Daryl and Rick. It also explained Daryl's curt tone and lack of detail on the 'options' he had discussed with Rick.
"Once we know more about them, we have another decision to make," Rick continued, forcing Beth to return her attention to the front of the room, "Depending on the level of threat this group poses, we'll have to decide whether it'll be safe for us to leave for Washington."
Beth cut her eyes to Abraham who continued to monitor the front door. His lack of reaction meant that he had already been briefed on the situation.
She could feel her blood burning through her veins. She wasn't sure why she hadn't been informed of what the plans were or if she had even been included in any of the thought process that had been put into deciding what to do about their neighbors, but the fact that everyone seemed to know what was going on except her and those not in the 'original' group infuriated her. Not only had Maggie kept this from her when Beth had been completely honest with her, but Daryl hadn't told her everything either.
"First things first," Rick began wrapping up the meeting, "the group is leaving out first thing in tha' mornin' to track down their camp. We'll decide what to do from there."
As others began to slowly filter about the room, getting their food, Beth no longer had an appetite. She clenched her jaw tightly and slammed her palms against the table, earning a cautious look from Carl. Abruptly standing from her seat, Beth stalked to the back door and glared up at Daryl who was now leaning against the wall.
"Beth, let us explain," Maggie began.
Sending her sister an equally fierce stare, Beth shook her head, "I don't care if you were trying to protect me or if you didn't think I could handle goin' back out, but you should've been honest with me…just like I was honest with you."
Maggie pressed her lips into a firm line and said nothing more.
Beth turned back to Daryl. His expression told her that he had something he wanted to say, but it was something for only her to hear.
"I guess this makes us even," Beth's voice took an eerily calm tone.
The look he gave her meant he didn't quite understand.
Turning on her heel, Beth pushed open the back door and threw one last statement over her shoulder, "I'm coming whether you like it or not."
With that she exited the room. Angry tears filled her eyes and she hastily wiped them away. It hurt her pride that Daryl had wiling kept something like this from her. She knew in some twisted way he was probably looking out for what he considered to be her best interest, but this was something she was already a part of, right smack in the center. At least when she had kept the information about the car from him, it had been because of justifiable reasons.
Bursting into the courtyard, she breathed in the cool night air and let it soothe her raging emotions. After taking a few moments to calm down, Beth felt another sensation wash over her. The hairs on the back of her neck began standing on end and she could feel someone watching her. The feeling was suffocating. Swallowing to keep bile from rising up her throat, Beth took hasty steps to the building that provided their sleeping quarters. She felt her anxiety increase with every step she took, as if someone was chasing her, and she didn't stop running until she was safely in her room with her back pressed firmly against the door.
Whoever it was that had yelled during the meeting about the Terminus signs was right. They had already found Terminus. They were out there, in the dark, among the walkers.
They were watching.
A/N: WAAAHHHH! 2.5 hours and counting until I'll be watching the season 5 premier! Cannot wait! Hope you enjoyed the chapter and let me know what you think! XOXO